Macy's expands in-store fulfillment to 500 stores

June 19, 2013

Macy's continues to move forward with its omnichannel strategy with the announcement that it will expand its store-based fulfillment centers to 500 locations…

Microsoft attempts to boost sales with Best Buy mini-stores

June 14, 2013

Microsoft has announced that it will open 500 mini-stores within existing Best Buy locations in the U.S., selling Windows-based tablets, computers and other…

US Lexus dealerships roll out MyDealerLot service solutions

June 13, 2013

Customer service and support solutions from MyDealerLot were selected by Lexus for implementation in its U.S. dealerships, according to a news release.

Google taps STELLAService for customer service ratings

June 12, 2013

Google is tapping STELLAService Inc. to provide customer service rankings and analytics for online retailers, according to Forbes. Data from STELLAService will…

The retail customer experience: In banking, pharmacies and other locked-in-customer situations

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

To discuss why the retail customer experience matters, even when your customers are locked into buying from you, we need to back up a step or two: When you’re…

Should retail selling floors encourage English-only?

Whole Foods is reviewing its language policy after two Spanish-speaking workers said they were suspended for complaining about it.

TimeTrade amps up retail solutions with kiosks, digital signage

June 6, 2013

TimeTrade, providers of online appointment scheduling technology for businesses, has announced upgrades to its TimeTrade Retail solution that it says will…

Sears CEO highlights 'integrated retail' strategy

May 31, 2013

Sears' Chief Executive Eddie Lampert announced his plan to give the 120-year-old retail brand a facelift — and hopefully turn around its six-year sales slump.

Putting the 'custom' back in customer

A commentary on how to save brick-and-mortar retail with tailored in-store experiences.

High-low pricing method gets slammed in court ruling

May 24, 2013

Following a recent ruling in California's 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, retailers following a high-low pricing method (think JC Penney, Kohl's) could be in…

How to build an expert customer service problem resolution approach

by Micah Solomon — president, four aces inc

An expert approach to customer service requires a well-defined process for problem resolution. Let’s look at how to start setting up such a process.

IBM's Jeopardy-winning computer Watson now working on customer engagement

May 21, 2013

Two years after conquering Jeopardy, IBM's Watson is setting its sights on customer engagement.

Inventory fulfillment solution promises omnichannel execution

May 21, 2013

During this week's Momentum 2013 conference in Las Vegas, Manhattan Associates announced the release of its Store Inventory Fulfillment solution, which it says…

Bealls Florida goes to the cloud with HighJump

May 14, 2013

HighJump Software, a global provider of supply chain management software, announced today that the Florida-based apparel and home merchandise retailer Bealls…

RichRelevance expands global presence with acquisition of Avail

May 14, 2013

RichRelevance, the company behind personalized online product recommendations for clients including Walmart, Sears and Target, announced it has acquired Avail…

Update: Nordstrom ends test of shopper tracking

May 13, 2013

Following a report on CBS 11 in Dallas (and subsequent reporting through other websites) that Nordstrom was tracking shoppers' activity via smartphone data…

Nordstrom tracks shoppers to improve customer experience

May 8, 2013

Nordstrom is using tracking software to identify how much time shoppers spend in specific departments, according to dfw.cbslocal.com. The technology is being…

Retail Mesh 'cuts through clutter' of mobile coupons

May 6, 2013

The rise of mobile technology in retail has led to a surge of platforms that push targeted, location-based mobile coupons to smartphone-wielding shoppers. A…

Busting the myths of specialty retail

by Doug Fleener — President and Managing Partner, Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC

We achieve what we believe. Sometimes that serves us well, and sometimes that holds us back. Here are some of the myths that create barriers to success in…

What can retail learn from community managers?

by Jeannie Walters — Chief Customer Experience Investigator, 360Connext

A few years ago, the role of community manager as we know it today didn’t exist. Social media was in its infancy, and as brands joined in they started to see…